Method and system for a mesh network utilizing leaky wave antennas

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for a mesh network utilizing leaky wave antennas (LWAs) are disclosed and may include configuring one or more devices as a mesh network in a wireless device coupled to a plurality of LWAs, and communicating data between said devices via the configured mesh network. A resonant frequency of the LWAs may be configured utilizing micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) deflection. A plurality of the LWAs may be configured to enable beamforming. The LWAs may comprise microstrip or coplanar waveguides, wherein a cavity height of the LWAs is dependent on spacing between conductive lines in the waveguides. The plurality of LWAs may be integrated in one or more of: integrated circuits, integrated circuit packages, and printed circuit boards. The devices may be internal to the wireless device. The data may be communicated via the mesh network to devices external to the wireless device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This application makes reference to, claims the benefit from, and claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/246,618 filed onSep. 29, 2009, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/185,245filed on Jun. 9, 2009.

This application also makes reference to:

-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,212 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,295 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,277 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,192 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,224 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,176 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,246 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,292 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,324 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/708,366 filed on Feb. 18, 2010;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/751,550 filed on Mar. 31, 2010;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/751,768 filed on Mar. 31, 2010;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/751,759 filed on Mar. 31, 2010;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/751,593 filed on Mar. 31, 2010;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/751,772 filed on Mar. 31, 2010;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/751,777 filed on Mar. 31, 2010;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/751,782 filed on Mar. 31, 2010;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/751,792 filed on Mar. 31, 2010;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/790,279 filed on May 28, 2010;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.    21210US02) filed on even date herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.    21212US02) filed on even date herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.    21216US02) filed on even date herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.    21217US02) filed on even date herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.    21219US02) filed on even date herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.    21221US02) filed on even date herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.    21223US02) filed on even date herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.    21224US02) filed on even date herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.    21225US02) filed on even date herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.    21226US02) filed on even date herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.    21228US02) filed on even date herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.    21229US02) filed on even date herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.    21234US02) filed on even date herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.    21235US02) filed on even date herewith; and-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.    21236US02) filed on even date herewith.

Each of the above stated applications is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[Not Applicable]

MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE

[Not Applicable]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention relate to wireless communication.More specifically, certain embodiments of the invention relate to amethod and system for a mesh network utilizing leaky wave antennas.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Mobile communications have changed the way people communicate and mobilephones have been transformed from a luxury item to an essential part ofevery day life. The use of mobile phones is today dictated by socialsituations, rather than hampered by location or technology. While voiceconnections fulfill the basic need to communicate, and mobile voiceconnections continue to filter even further into the fabric of every daylife, the mobile Internet is the next step in the mobile communicationrevolution. The mobile Internet is poised to become a common source ofeveryday information, and easy, versatile mobile access to this datawill be taken for granted.

As the number of electronic devices enabled for wireline and/or mobilecommunications continues to increase, significant efforts exist withregard to making such devices more power efficient. For example, a largepercentage of communications devices are mobile wireless devices andthus often operate on battery power. Additionally, transmit and/orreceive circuitry within such mobile wireless devices often account fora significant portion of the power consumed within these devices.Moreover, in some conventional communication systems, transmittersand/or receivers are often power inefficient in comparison to otherblocks of the portable communication devices. Accordingly, thesetransmitters and/or receivers have a significant impact on battery lifefor these mobile wireless devices.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditionalapproaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, throughcomparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth inthe remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system and/or method for a mesh network utilizing leaky wave antennasas shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of thefigures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

Various advantages, aspects and novel features of the present invention,as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be morefully understood from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless system with leakywave antennas for configuring a mesh network, which may be utilized inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary leaky wave antenna,in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a plan view of exemplarypartially reflective surfaces, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary phase dependence ofa leaky wave antenna, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary in-phase andout-of-phase beam shapes for a leaky wave antenna, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a leaky wave antenna withvariable input impedance feed points, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view ofcoplanar and microstrip waveguides, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating leaky wave antennas for configuring amesh network, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9A is a block diagram illustrating exemplary chip to chip meshnetwork to external device communication, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9B is a block diagram illustrating exemplary package-to-packagemesh network to external device communication, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary steps for configuringa mesh network utilizing leaky wave antennas, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain aspects of the invention may be found in a method and system fora mesh network utilizing leaky wave antennas. Exemplary aspects of theinvention may comprise configuring one or more devices in a mesh networkin a wireless device utilizing a plurality of leaky wave antennas, andcommunicating data between the devices via the configured mesh network.A resonant frequency of the leaky wave antennas may be configuredutilizing micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) deflection. Aplurality of the leaky wave antennas may be configured to enablebeamforming. The leaky wave antennas may comprise microstrip waveguides,wherein a cavity height of the leaky wave antennas is dependent onspacing between conductive lines in the microstrip waveguides. The leakywave antennas may comprise coplanar waveguides, wherein a cavity heightof the leaky wave antennas is dependent on spacing between conductivelines in the coplanar waveguides. The plurality of leaky wave antennasmay be integrated in one or more of: integrated circuits, integratedcircuit packages, and printed circuit boards. The devices may beinternal to the wireless device. The data may be communicated via themesh network to devices external to the wireless device.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless system with leakywave antennas for configuring a mesh network, which may be utilized inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1, thewireless device 150 may comprise an antenna 151, a transceiver 152, abaseband processor 154, a processor 156, a system memory 158, a logicblock 160, a chip 162, leaky wave antennas 164A-164C, switches 165, anexternal headset port 166, and an integrated circuit package 167. Thewireless device 150 may also comprise an analog microphone 168,integrated hands-free (IHF) stereo speakers 170, a printed circuit board171, a hearing aid compatible (HAC) coil 174, a dual digital microphone176, a vibration transducer 178, a keypad and/or touchscreen 180, and adisplay 182.

The transceiver 152 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interface(s), and/or code that may be enabled to modulate and upconvertbaseband signals to RF signals for transmission by one or more antennas,which may be represented generically by the antenna 151. The transceiver152 may also be enabled to downconvert and demodulate received RFsignals to baseband signals. The RF signals may be received by one ormore antennas, which may be represented generically by the antenna 151,or the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C. Different wireless systems may usedifferent antennas for transmission and reception. The transceiver 152may be enabled to execute other functions, for example, filtering thebaseband and/or RF signals, and/or amplifying the baseband and/or RFsignals. Although a single transceiver 152 is shown, the invention isnot so limited. Accordingly, the transceiver 152 may be implemented as aseparate transmitter and a separate receiver. In addition, there may bea plurality of transceivers, transmitters and/or receivers. In thisregard, the plurality of transceivers, transmitters and/or receivers mayenable the wireless device 150 to handle a plurality of wirelessprotocols and/or standards including cellular, WLAN and PAN. Wirelesstechnologies handled by the wireless device 150 may comprise GSM, CDMA,CDMA2000, WCDMA, GMS, GPRS, EDGE, WIMAX, WLAN, 3GPP, UMTS, BLUETOOTH,and ZigBee, for example.

The baseband processor 154 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interface(s), and/or code that may be enabled to process basebandsignals for transmission via the transceiver 152 and/or the basebandsignals received from the transceiver 152. The processor 156 may be anysuitable processor or controller such as a CPU, DSP, ARM, or any type ofintegrated circuit processor. The processor 156 may comprise suitablelogic, circuitry, and/or code that may be enabled to control theoperations of the transceiver 152 and/or the baseband processor 154. Forexample, the processor 156 may be utilized to update and/or modifyprogrammable parameters and/or values in a plurality of components,devices, and/or processing elements in the transceiver 152 and/or thebaseband processor 154. At least a portion of the programmableparameters may be stored in the system memory 158.

Control and/or data information, which may comprise the programmableparameters, may be transferred from other portions of the wirelessdevice 150, not shown in FIG. 1, to the processor 156. Similarly, theprocessor 156 may be enabled to transfer control and/or datainformation, which may include the programmable parameters, to otherportions of the wireless device 150, not shown in FIG. 1, which may bepart of the wireless device 150.

The processor 156 may utilize the received control and/or datainformation, which may comprise the programmable parameters, todetermine an operating mode of the transceiver 152. For example, theprocessor 156 may be utilized to select a specific frequency for a localoscillator, a specific gain for a variable gain amplifier, configure thelocal oscillator and/or configure the variable gain amplifier foroperation in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.Moreover, the specific frequency selected and/or parameters needed tocalculate the specific frequency, and/or the specific gain value and/orthe parameters, which may be utilized to calculate the specific gain,may be stored in the system memory 158 via the processor 156, forexample. The information stored in system memory 158 may be transferredto the transceiver 152 from the system memory 158 via the processor 156.

The system memory 158 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interface(s), and/or code that may be enabled to store a plurality ofcontrol and/or data information, including parameters needed tocalculate frequencies and/or gain, and/or the frequency value and/orgain value. The system memory 158 may store at least a portion of theprogrammable parameters that may be manipulated by the processor 156.

The logic block 160 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interface(s), and/or code that may enable controlling of variousfunctionalities of the wireless device 150. For example, the logic block160 may comprise one or more state machines that may generate signals tocontrol the transceiver 152 and/or the baseband processor 154. The logicblock 160 may also comprise registers that may hold data forcontrolling, for example, the transceiver 152 and/or the basebandprocessor 154. The logic block 160 may also generate and/or store statusinformation that may be read by, for example, the processor 156.Amplifier gains and/or filtering characteristics, for example, may becontrolled by the logic block 160.

The BT radio/processor 163 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,interface(s), and/or code that may enable transmission and reception ofBluetooth signals. The BT radio/processor 163 may enable processingand/or handling of BT baseband signals. In this regard, the BTradio/processor 163 may process or handle BT signals received and/or BTsignals transmitted via a wireless communication medium. The BTradio/processor 163 may also provide control and/or feedback informationto/from the baseband processor 154 and/or the processor 156, based oninformation from the processed BT signals. The BT radio/processor 163may communicate information and/or data from the processed BT signals tothe processor 156 and/or to the system memory 158. Moreover, the BTradio/processor 163 may receive information from the processor 156and/or the system memory 158, which may be processed and transmitted viathe wireless communication medium a Bluetooth headset, for example

The CODEC 172 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, interface(s),and/or code that may process audio signals received from and/orcommunicated to input/output devices. The input devices may be within orcommunicatively coupled to the wireless device 150, and may comprise theanalog microphone 168, the stereo speakers 170, the hearing aidcompatible (HAC) coil 174, the dual digital microphone 176, and thevibration transducer 178, for example. The CODEC 172 may be operable toup-convert and/or down-convert signal frequencies to desired frequenciesfor processing and/or transmission via an output device. The CODEC 172may enable utilizing a plurality of digital audio inputs, such as 16 or18-bit inputs, for example. The CODEC 172 may also enable utilizing aplurality of data sampling rate inputs. For example, the CODEC 172 mayaccept digital audio signals at sampling rates such as 8 kHz, 11.025kHz, 12 kHz, 16 kHz, 22.05 kHz, 24 kHz, 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, and/or 48 kHz.The CODEC 172 may also support mixing of a plurality of audio sources.For example, the CODEC 172 may support audio sources such as generalaudio, polyphonic ringer, I²S FM audio, vibration driving signals, andvoice. In this regard, the general audio and polyphonic ringer sourcesmay support the plurality of sampling rates that the audio CODEC 172 isenabled to accept, while the voice source may support a portion of theplurality of sampling rates, such as 8 kHz and 16 kHz, for example.

The chip 162 may comprise an integrated circuit with multiple functionalblocks integrated within, such as the transceiver 152, the processor156, the baseband processor 154, the BT radio/processor 163, and theCODEC 172. The number of functional blocks integrated in the chip 162 isnot limited to the number shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, any number ofblocks may be integrated on the chip 162 depending on chip space andwireless device 150 requirements, for example. The chip 162 may beflip-chip bonded, for example, to the package 167, as described furtherwith respect to FIG. 8.

The leaky wave antennas 164A-164C may comprise a resonant cavity with ahighly reflective surface and a lower reflectivity surface, and may beintegrated in and/or on the package 167. In addition, leaky waveantennas may be integrated on the package 167, thereby enablingcommunication between the package 167 and other packages on the printedcircuit board 171, as well as other printed circuit boards in thewireless device 150. The lower reflectivity surface may allow theresonant mode to “leak” out of the cavity. The lower reflectivitysurface of the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C may be configured withslots in a metal surface, or a pattern of metal patches, as describedfurther in FIGS. 2 and 3. The physical dimensions of the leaky waveantennas 164A-164C may be configured to optimize bandwidth oftransmission and/or the beam pattern radiated. By integrating the leakywave antennas 164B and 164C on the package 167 and/or the printedcircuit board 171, the dimensions of the leaky wave antennas 164B and164C may not be limited by the size of the chip 162.

The leaky wave antennas 164A-164C may be operable to transmit and/orreceive wireless signals at or near 60 GHz, for example, due to thecavity length of the devices being on the order of millimeters. Theleaky wave antennas 164A-164C may be configured to transmit at differentfrequencies by integrating leaky wave antennas with different cavityheights in the chip 162, the package 167, and/or the printed circuitboard 171.

The switches 165 may comprise switches such as CMOS or MEMS switchesthat may be operable to switch different antennas of the leaky waveantennas 164A-164C to the transceiver 152 and/or switch elements inand/or out of the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C, such as the patches andslots described in FIG. 3.

The external headset port 166 may comprise a physical connection for anexternal headset to be communicatively coupled to the wireless device150. The analog microphone 168 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,interface(s), and/or code that may detect sound waves and convert themto electrical signals via a piezoelectric effect, for example. Theelectrical signals generated by the analog microphone 168 may compriseanalog signals that may require analog to digital conversion beforeprocessing.

The package 167 may comprise a ceramic package, a printed circuit board,or other support structure for the chip 162 and other components of thewireless device 150. In this regard, the chip 162 may be bonded to thepackage 167. The package 167 may comprise insulating and conductivematerial, for example, and may provide isolation between electricalcomponents mounted on the package 167. A mesh network may be enabled byintegrating leaky wave antennas on the chip 162, the package 167, and/orthe printed circuit board 171, thereby reducing or eliminating the needfor wire traces with stray impedances that reduce the distance signalsmay be communicated at higher frequencies, such as 60 GHz, for example.

The stereo speakers 170 may comprise a pair of speakers that may beoperable to generate audio signals from electrical signals received fromthe CODEC 172. The HAC coil 174 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,and/or code that may enable communication between the wireless device150 and a T-coil in a hearing aid, for example. In this manner,electrical audio signals may be communicated to a user that utilizes ahearing aid, without the need for generating sound signals via aspeaker, such as the stereo speakers 170, and converting the generatedsound signals back to electrical signals in a hearing aid, andsubsequently back into amplified sound signals in the user's ear, forexample.

The dual digital microphone 176 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,interface(s), and/or code that may be operable to detect sound waves andconvert them to electrical signals. The electrical signals generated bythe dual digital microphone 176 may comprise digital signals, and thusmay not require analog to digital conversion prior to digital processingin the CODEC 172. The dual digital microphone 176 may enable beamformingcapabilities, for example.

The vibration transducer 178 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,interface(s), and/or code that may enable notification of an incomingcall, alerts and/or message to the wireless device 150 without the useof sound. The vibration transducer may generate vibrations that may bein synch with, for example, audio signals such as speech or music.

In operation, control and/or data information, which may comprise theprogrammable parameters, may be transferred from other portions of thewireless device 150, not shown in FIG. 1, to the processor 156.Similarly, the processor 156 may be enabled to transfer control and/ordata information, which may include the programmable parameters, toother portions of the wireless device 150, not shown in FIG. 1, whichmay be part of the wireless device 150.

The processor 156 may utilize the received control and/or datainformation, which may comprise the programmable parameters, todetermine an operating mode of the transceiver 152. For example, theprocessor 156 may be utilized to select a specific frequency for a localoscillator, a specific gain for a variable gain amplifier, configure thelocal oscillator and/or configure the variable gain amplifier foroperation in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.Moreover, the specific frequency selected and/or parameters needed tocalculate the specific frequency, and/or the specific gain value and/orthe parameters, which may be utilized to calculate the specific gain,may be stored in the system memory 158 via the processor 156, forexample. The information stored in system memory 158 may be transferredto the transceiver 152 from the system memory 158 via the processor 156.

The CODEC 172 in the wireless device 150 may communicate with theprocessor 156 in order to transfer audio data and control signals.Control registers for the CODEC 172 may reside within the processor 156.The processor 156 may exchange audio signals and control information viathe system memory 158. The CODEC 172 may up-convert and/or down-convertthe frequencies of multiple audio sources for processing at a desiredsampling rate.

The frequency of the transmission and/or reception of the leaky waveantennas 164A-164C may be determined by the cavity height of theantennas. Accordingly, the reflective surfaces may be integrated atdifferent heights or lateral spacing in the package, thereby configuringleaky wave antennas with different resonant frequencies.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the resonant cavityfrequency of the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C may be configured bytuning the cavity height using MEMS actuation. Accordingly, a biasvoltage may be applied such that one or both of the reflective surfacesof the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C may be deflected by the appliedpotential. In this manner, the cavity height, and thus the resonantfrequency of the cavity, may be configured. Similarly, the patterns ofslots and/or patches in the partially reflected surface may beconfigured by the switches 165.

The leaky wave antennas 164A-164C may be operable to transmit and/orreceive signals between and among the chip 162, the package 167, theprinted circuit board 171, and other devices within and external to thewireless device 150. In this manner, high frequency traces to anexternal antenna, such as the antenna 151, may be reduced and/oreliminated for higher frequency signals. By communicating a signal to betransmitted from the chip 162 to the leaky wave antennas 164B and/or164C through bump bonds coupling the chip 162 to the package 167A andthe package 167 to the printed circuit 171, or other chips to thepackages 167B-167D, high frequency traces may be further reduced.

The leaky wave antennas 164A-164C may be utilized to configure a meshnetwork among the devices in the wireless device 150 and among devicesexternal to the wireless device 150. Functions may be shared by variousdevices within and external to the wireless device 150 utilizing theconfigured mesh network. For example, in instances where the processor156 is under intense processing utilization, another under-utilizedprocessor in the wireless device 150 within the mesh network may receivedata for processing utilizing high-speed communication via the leakywave antennas 164A-164C.

Different frequency signals may be transmitted and/or received by theleaky wave antennas 164A-164C by selectively coupling the transceiver152 to leaky wave antennas with different cavity heights. For example,leaky wave antennas with reflective surfaces on the top and the bottomof the package 167 or the printed circuit board 171 may have the largestcavity height, and thus provide the lowest resonant frequency.Conversely, leaky wave antennas with a reflective surface on the surfaceof the chip 162, the package 167, or the printed circuit board 171 andanother reflective surface just below the surface, may provide a higherresonant frequency. The selective coupling may be enabled by theswitches 165 and/or CMOS devices in the chip 162.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary leaky wave antenna,in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 2,there is shown the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C comprising a partiallyreflective surface 201A, a reflective surface 201B, and a feed point203. The space between the partially reflective surface 201A and thereflective surface 201B may be filled with dielectric material, forexample, and the height, h, between the partially reflective surface201A and the reflective surface 201B may be utilized to configure thefrequency of transmission of the leaky wave antennas 164. In anotherembodiment of the invention, an air gap may be integrated in the spacebetween the partially reflective surface 201A and the reflective surface201B to enable MEMS actuation. There is also shown(micro-electromechanical systems) MEMS bias voltages, +V_(MEMS) and−V_(MEMS).

The feed point 203 may comprise an input terminal for applying an inputvoltage to the leaky wave antennas 164. The invention is not limited toa single feed point 203, as there may be any amount of feed points fordifferent phases of signal or a plurality of signal sources, forexample, to be applied to the leaky wave antennas 164.

In an embodiment of the invention, the height, h, may be one-half thewavelength of the desired transmitted mode from the leaky wave antennas164. In this manner, the phase of an electromagnetic mode that traversesthe cavity twice may be coherent with the input signal at the feed point203, thereby configuring a resonant cavity known as a Fabry-Perotcavity. The magnitude of the resonant mode may decay exponentially inthe lateral direction from the feed point 203, thereby reducing oreliminating the need for confinement structures to the sides of theleaky wave antennas 164. The input impedance of the leaky wave antennas164 may be configured by the vertical placement of the feed point 203,as described further in FIG. 6.

In operation, a signal to be transmitted via a power amplifier in thetransceiver 152 may be communicated to the feed point 203 of the leakywave antennas 164A-164C with a frequency f. The cavity height, h, may beconfigured to correlate to one half the wavelength of a harmonic of thesignal of frequency f. The signal may traverse the height of the cavityand may be reflected by the partially reflective surface 201A, and thentraverse the height back to the reflective surface 201B. Since the wavewill have travelled a distance corresponding to a full wavelength,constructive interference may result and a resonant mode may thereby beestablished.

Leaky wave antennas may enable the configuration of high gain antennaswithout the need for a large array of antennas which require a complexfeed network and suffer from loss due to feed lines. The leaky waveantennas 164A-164C may be operable to transmit and/or receive wirelesssignals via conductive layers in and/or on the chip 162, the package167, and/or the printed circuit board 171. In this manner, the resonantfrequency of the cavity may cover a wide range due to the large range ofsizes available with the printed circuit board 171 down to the chip 162,without requiring large areas needed for conventional antennas andassociated circuitry. In addition, by integrating leaky wave antennas ina plurality of packages on one or more printed circuit boards, a meshnetwork between chips, packages, and or printed circuit boards may beenabled.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the frequency oftransmission and/or reception of the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C maybe configured by selecting one of the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C withthe appropriate cavity height for the desired frequency.

In another embodiment of the invention, the cavity height, h, may beconfigured by MEMS actuation. For example, the bias voltages +V_(MEMS)and −V_(MEMS) may deflect one or both of the reflective surfaces 201Aand 201B compared to zero bias, thereby configuring the resonantfrequency of the cavity.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a plan view of exemplarypartially reflective surfaces, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a partially reflectivesurface 300 comprising periodic slots in a metal surface, and apartially reflective surface 320 comprising periodic metal patches. Thepartially reflective surfaces 300/320 may comprise different embodimentsof the partially reflective surface 201A described with respect to FIG.2.

The spacing, dimensions, shape, and orientation of the slots and/orpatches in the partially reflective surfaces 300/320 may be utilized toconfigure the bandwidth, and thus Q-factor, of the resonant cavitydefined by the partially reflective surfaces 300/320 and a reflectivesurface, such as the reflective surface 201B, described with respect toFIG. 2. The partially reflective surfaces 300/320 may thus comprisefrequency selective surfaces due to the narrow bandwidth of signals thatmay leak out of the structure as configured by the slots and/or patches.

The spacing between the patches and/or slots may be related towavelength of the signal transmitted and/or received, which may besomewhat similar to beamforming with multiple antennas. The length ofthe slots and/or patches may be several times larger than the wavelengthof the transmitted and/or received signal or less, for example, sincethe leakage from the slots and/or regions surround the patches may addup, similar to beamforming with multiple antennas.

In an embodiment of the invention, the slots/patches may be configuredvia CMOS and/or micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) switches, such asthe switches 165 described with respect to FIG. 1, to tune the Q of theresonant cavity. The slots and/or patches may be configured inconductive layers in and/or on the package 167 and may be shortedtogether or switched open utilizing the switches 165. In this manner, RFsignals, such as 60 GHz signals, for example, may be transmitted fromvarious locations without the need for additional circuitry andconventional antennas with their associated circuitry that requirevaluable chip space.

In another embodiment of the invention, the slots or patches may beconfigured in conductive layers in a vertical plane of the chip 162, thepackage 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171, thereby enabling meshnetwork communication of wireless signals in a horizontal direction inthe structure.

The partially reflective surfaces 300/320 may be integrated in and/or onthe chip 162, the package 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171. Inthis manner, different frequency signals may be transmitted and/orreceived. Accordingly, a partially reflective surface 300/320 integratedwithin the chip 162, the package 167, and/or the printed circuit board171 and a reflective surface 201B may transmit and/or receive signals ata higher frequency signal than from a resonant cavity defined by apartially reflective surface 300/320 on surface of the chip 162, thepackage 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171 and a reflectivesurface 201B on the other surface of the chip 162, the package 167,and/or the printed circuit board 171.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary phase dependence ofa leaky wave antenna, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a leaky wave antenna comprising thepartially reflective surface 201A, the reflective surface 201B, and thefeed point 203. In-phase condition 400 illustrates the relative beamshape transmitted by the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C when thefrequency of the signal communicated to the feed point 203 matches thatof the resonant cavity as defined by the cavity height, h, and thedielectric constant of the material between the reflective surfaces.

Similarly, out-of-phase condition 420 illustrates the relative beamshape transmitted by the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C when thefrequency of the signal communicated to the feed point 203 does notmatch that of the resonant cavity. The resulting beam shape may beconical, as opposed to a single main vertical node. These areillustrated further with respect to FIG. 5. The leaky wave antennas164A-164C may be integrated at various heights in the chip 162, thepackage 167, printed circuit board 171, thereby providing a plurality oftransmission and reception sites in the chip 162, the package 167,printed circuit board 171 with varying resonant frequency.

By configuring the leaky wave antennas for in-phase and out-of-phaseconditions, signals possessing different characteristics may be directedout of the chip 162, the package 167, printed circuit board 171 indesired directions, thereby enabling wireless communication between aplurality of packages. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, theangle at which signals may be transmitted by a leaky wave antenna may bedynamically controlled so that signal may be directed to desiredreceiving leaky wave antennas. In another embodiment of the invention,the leaky wave antennas 164 may be operable to receive RF signals, suchas 60 GHz signals, for example. The direction in which the signals arereceived may be configured by the in-phase and out-of-phase conditions.Leaky wave antennas may be utilized to configure mesh networks enabledby the tunable direction of transmission and/or reception. Resourceswithin the wireless devices, as well as devices external to the wirelessdevice 150, may be shared via a configured mesh network.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary in-phase andout-of-phase beam shapes for a leaky wave antenna, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown a plot500 of transmitted signal beam shape versus angle, Θ, for the in-phaseand out-of-phase conditions for a leaky wave antenna.

The In-phase curve in the plot 500 may correlate to the case where thefrequency of the signal communicated to a leaky wave antenna matches theresonant frequency of the cavity. In this manner, a single vertical mainnode may result. In instances where the frequency of the signal at thefeed point is not at the resonant frequency, a double, or conical-shapednode may be generated as shown by the Out-of-phase curve in the plot500. By configuring the leaky wave antennas for in-phase andout-of-phase conditions, signals may be directed out of the chip 162,the package 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171 in desireddirections.

In another embodiment of the invention, the leaky wave antennas164A-164C may be operable to receive wireless signals, and may beconfigured to receive from a desired direction via the in-phase andout-of-phase configurations, thereby enabling the configuration of meshnetworks in the wireless device 150.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a leaky wave antenna withvariable input impedance feed points, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention. Referring to FIG. 6, there is shown a leaky waveantenna 600 comprising the partially reflective surface 201A and thereflective surface 201B. There is also shown feed points 601A-601C. Thefeed points 601A-601C may be located at different positions along theheight, h, of the cavity thereby configuring different impedance pointsfor the leaky wave antenna.

In this manner, a leaky wave antenna may be utilized to couple to aplurality of power amplifiers, low-noise amplifiers, and/or othercircuitry with varying output or input impedances. Similarly, byintegrating leaky wave antennas in conductive layers in the chip, 162,package 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171, the impedance of theleaky wave antenna may be matched to the power amplifier or low-noiseamplifier without impedance variations that may result with conventionalantennas and their proximity or distance to associated driverelectronics. Similarly, by integrating reflective and partiallyreflective surfaces with varying cavity heights and varying feed points,leaky wave antennas with different impedances and resonant frequenciesmay be enabled. In an embodiment of the invention, the heights of thefeed points 601A-601C may be configured by MEMS actuation.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view ofcoplanar and microstrip waveguides, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention. Referring to FIG. 7, there is shown a microstripwaveguide 720 and a coplanar waveguide 730 and a support structure 701.The microstrip waveguide 720 may comprise signal conductive lines 723, aground plane 725, a resonant cavity 711A, and an insulating layer 727.The coplanar waveguide 730 may comprise signal conductive lines 731 and733, a resonant cavity 711B, the insulating layer 727, and a multi-layersupport structure 701. The support structure 701 may comprise the chip162, the package 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171.

The signal conductive lines 723, 731, and 733 may comprise metal tracesor layers deposited in and/or on the insulating layer 727. In anotherembodiment of the invention, the signal conductive lines 723, 731, and733 may comprise poly-silicon or other conductive material. Theseparation and the voltage potential between the signal conductive line723 and the ground plane 725 may determine the electric field generatedtherein. In addition, the dielectric constant of the insulating layer727 may also determine the electric field between the signal conductiveline 723 and the ground plane 725.

The resonant cavities 711A and 711B may comprise the insulating layer727, an air gap, or a combination of an air gap and the insulating layer727, thereby enabling MEMS actuation and thus frequency tuning.

The insulating layer 727 may comprise SiO₂ or other insulating materialthat may provide a high resistance layer between the signal conductiveline 723 and the ground plane 725, and the signal conductive lines 731and 733. In addition, the electric field between the signal conductiveline 723 and the ground plane 725 may be dependent on the dielectricconstant of the insulating layer 727.

The thickness and the dielectric constant of the insulating layer 727may determine the electric field strength generated by the appliedsignal. The resonant cavity thickness of a leaky wave antenna may bedependent on the spacing between the signal conductive line 723 and theground plane 725, or the signal conductive lines 731 and 733, forexample.

The signal conductive lines 731 and 733, and the signal conductive line723 and the ground plane 725 may define resonant cavities for leaky waveantennas. Each layer may comprise a reflective surface or a partiallyreflective surface depending on the pattern of conductive material. Forexample, a partially reflective surface may be configured by alternatingconductive and insulating material in a desired pattern. In this manner,signals may be directed out of, or received into, a surface of the chip162, the package 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171, asillustrated with the microstrip waveguide 720. In another embodiment ofthe invention, signals may be communicated in the horizontal plane ofthe chip 162, the package 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171utilizing the coplanar waveguide 730.

The support structure 701 may provide mechanical support for themicrostrip waveguide 720, the coplanar waveguide 730, and other devicesthat may be integrated within. In another embodiment of the invention,the chip 162, the packages 167A-167D, and/or the printed circuit board171 may comprise Si, GaAs, sapphire, InP, GaO, ZnO, CdTe, CdZnTe,ceramics, polytetrafluoroethylene, and/or Al₂O₃, for example, or anyother substrate material that may be suitable for integrating microstripstructures.

In operation, a bias and/or a signal voltage may be applied across thesignal conductive line 723 and the ground plane 725, and/or the signalconductive lines 731 and 733. The thickness of a leaky wave antennaresonant cavity may be dependent on the distance between the conductivelines in the microstrip waveguide 720 and/or the coplanar transmissionwaveguide 730.

By alternating patches of conductive material with insulating material,or slots of conductive material in dielectric material, a partiallyreflective surface may result, which may allow a signal to “leak out” inthat direction, as shown by the Leaky Wave arrows in FIG. 7. In thismanner, wireless signals may be directed out of the surface plane of thesupport structure 701, or parallel to the surface of the supportstructure 701.

Similarly, by sequentially placing the conductive signal lines 731 and733 with different spacing, different cavity heights may result, andthus different resonant frequencies, thereby forming a distributed leakywave antenna. In this manner, a plurality of signals at differentfrequencies may be transmitted from, or received by, the distributedleaky wave antenna.

The integration of the conductive signal lines 731 and 733 and theground plane 725 in the chip, 162, package 167, and/or the printedcircuit board 171, enables a wireless mesh network in the wirelessdevice 150. Wireless signals may be communicated between structures inthe horizontal or vertical planes depending on which type of leaky waveantenna is enabled, such as a coplanar or microstrip structure.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating leaky wave antennas for configuring amesh network, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.Referring to FIG. 8, there is shown metal layers 801A-801L, solder balls803, thermal epoxy 807, leaky wave antennas 809A-809F, and metalinterconnects 811A-811C. The chip 162, the package 167, and the printedcircuit board 171 may be as described previously.

The chip 162, or integrated circuit, may comprise one or more componentsand/or systems within the wireless system 150. The chip 162 may bebump-bonded or flip-chip bonded to the package 167 utilizing the solderballs 803. Similarly, the package 167 may be flip-chip bonded to theprinted circuit board 171. In this manner, wire bonds connecting thechip 162 to the package 167 and the package 167 to the printed circuitboard 171 may be eliminated, thereby reducing and/or eliminatinguncontrollable stray inductances due to wire bonds, for example. Inaddition, the thermal conductance out of the chip 162 may be greatlyimproved utilizing the solder balls 803 and the thermal epoxy 807. Thethermal epoxy 807 may be electrically insulating but thermallyconductive to allow for thermal energy to be conducted out of the chip162 to the much larger thermal mass of the package 167.

The metal layers 801A-801L and the metal interconnects 811A-811C maycomprise deposited metal layers utilized to delineate and couple toleaky wave antennas in and/or on the chip 162, the package 167, and theprinted circuit board 171. The leaky wave antennas 809A-809F may beutilized to configure a mesh network. In addition, the leaky waveantenna 809F may comprise conductive and insulating layers integrated inand/or on the printed circuit board 171 extending into thecross-sectional view plane to enable communication of signalshorizontally in the plane of the printed circuit board 171, asillustrated by the coplanar waveguide 730 described with respect to FIG.7. This coplanar structure may also be utilized in the chip 162 and/orthe package 167, thereby enabling the configuration of a mesh networkbetween devices in a horizontal plane, such as between a plurality ofpackages on a printed circuit board.

In an embodiment of the invention, the spacing between pairs of metallayers, for example 801A and 801B, 801C and 801D, 801E and 801F, and801G and 801H, may define vertical resonant cavities of leaky waveantennas. In this regard, a partially reflective surface, as shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, for example, may enable the resonant electromagnetic modein the cavity to leak out from that surface.

The metal layers 801A-801J comprising the leaky wave antennas 809A-809Emay comprise microstrip structures as described with respect to FIG. 7.The region between the metal layers 801A-801L may comprise a resistivematerial that may provide electrical isolation between the metal layers801A-801L thereby creating a resonant cavity. In an embodiment of theinvention, the region between the metal layers 801A-801L may compriseair and/or a combination of air and dielectric material, therebyenabling MEMS actuation of the metal layers 801A-801L.

The number of metal layers is not limited to the number of metal layers801A-801L shown in FIG. 8. Accordingly, there may be any number oflayers embedded within and/or on the chip 162, the package 167, and/orthe printed circuit board 171, depending on the number of leaky waveantennas, traces, waveguides and other devices fabricated.

The solder balls 803 may comprise spherical balls of metal to provideelectrical, thermal and physical contact between the chip 162, thepackage 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171. In making the contactwith the solder balls 803, the chip 162 and/or the package 167 may bepressed with enough force to squash the metal spheres somewhat, and maybe performed at an elevated temperature to provide suitable electricalresistance and physical bond strength. The thermal epoxy 807 may fillthe volume between the solder balls 803 and may provide a high thermalconductance path for heat transfer out of the chip 162.

In operation, the chip 162 may comprise an RF front end, such as the RFtransceiver 152, described with respect to FIG. 1, and may be utilizedto transmit and/or receive RF signals, at 60 GHz, for example. The chip162 may be electrically coupled to the package 167. The package 167 maybe electrically coupled to the printed circuit board 171. In instanceswhere high frequency signals, 60 GHz or greater, for example, may becommunicated, leaky wave antennas in the chip 162, the package 167,and/or the printed circuit board 171 may be utilized to transmit signalsto external devices.

Lower frequency signals may be communicated via leaky wave antennas withlarger resonant cavity heights, such as the leaky wave antenna 809Eintegrated in the printed circuit board 171. However, higher frequencysignal signals may also be communicated from leaky wave antennasintegrated in the printed circuit board 171 by utilizing coplanarwaveguide leaky wave antennas, such as the leaky wave antenna 809F, orby utilizing microstrip waveguide leaky wave antennas with lower cavityheights, such as the leaky wave antennas 809D.

The leaky wave antenna 809F may comprise a coplanar waveguide structure,and may be operable to communicate wireless signals in the horizontalplane, parallel to the surface of the printed circuit board 171. In thismanner, signals may be communicated between laterally situatedstructures without the need to run lossy electrical signal lines,thereby enabling the configuration of a mesh network between devices ina horizontal plane. Coplanar waveguides on thinner structures, such asthe chip 162, may have electromagnetic field lines that extend into thesubstrate, which can cause excessive absorption in lower resistivitysubstrates, such as silicon. For this reason, microstrip waveguides witha large ground plane may be used with lossy substrates. However,coplanar structures can be used when a high resistivity substrate isutilized for the chip 162.

The leaky wave antennas 809A-809E may comprise microstrip waveguidestructures, for example, that may be operable to wirelessly communicatesignals perpendicular to the plane of the supporting structure, such asthe chip 162, the package 167, and the printed circuit board 171. Inthis manner, wireless signals may be communicated between the chip 162,the package 167, and the printed circuit board 171, and also to devicesexternal to the wireless device 150 in the vertical direction, therebyallowing the configuration of a mesh network between devices arrangedvertical direction, such as on parallel printed circuit boards and/orbetween devices within and external to the wireless device 150.

The integration of leaky wave antennas in the chip 162, the package 167,and the printed circuit board 171 may result in the reduction of strayimpedances when compared to wire-bonded connections between structuresas in conventional systems, particularly for higher frequencies, such as60 GHz. In this manner, volume requirements may be reduced andperformance may be improved due to lower losses and accurate control ofimpedances via switches in the chip 162 or on the package 167, forexample.

FIG. 9A is a block diagram illustrating exemplary chip to chip meshnetwork to external device communication, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 9A, there is shown a meshnetwork 900 configured via the package 167 which comprises a pluralityof chips 162 and 901A-901G. There is also shown an external device 903.The chips 901A-901G may be substantially similar to the chip 162, andmay comprise leaky wave antennas for establishing the mesh network 900.

The chips 162 and 901A-901G may be operable to create a mesh networkwhere each chip may be a node in the network and may be utilized tocommunicate between the chips 162 and 901A-901G as well as to externaldevices, such as the external device 903. In instances where the chips162 and 901A-901G may be communicating with an external device, theoptimum communication configuration may be determined by which chip, orcombination of chips, receives the maximum signal from the externaldevice 903. In addition, with a plurality of leaky wave antennas,beamforming may be utilized to direct a transmitted signal at theexternal device 903.

In operation, the chips 162 and 901A-901G may be configured forinter-chip communication. In this manner, signals may be communicatedbetween chips without utilizing wire traces between chips on the package167. In addition, a mesh network may be established by the wirelesscommunications capability of the chips 162 and 901A-901G for efficientcommunication of signals via leaky wave antennas with devices externalto the package 167, such as the wireless device 903. Beamforming may beutilized to provide optimum communication between the chips 162 and901A-901G and/or with external devices such as the external device 903.The signals may be communicated between the chips 162 and 901A-901G viaon-chip leaky wave antennas.

In an embodiment of the invention, the optimum configuration for acommunications link via the mesh network 900 comprising the chips 162and 901A-901G and a particular device may be determined by a processor,such as the processor 155 and/or the baseband process 154, for example,described with respect to FIG. 1. A maximum received signal for variousleaky wave antenna configurations may indicate the optimumconfiguration, which may then be utilized for wireless communicationwith external devices. The optimum configuration may be dynamicallyadjusted for maximum received signals on a periodic basis, for example.The configuration may be different for inter-chip communication comparedto communication with an external device, for example.

The chips 162 and 901A-901G comprising the mesh network 900 may alsocomprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that mayenable forming mesh-like, ad hoc wireless networks of chips. The chips162 and 901A-901G may communicate with each other if the devices arewithin device-to-device operational proximity. Formation ofdevice-to-device connections between devices in the chips 162 and901A-901G may enable formation of the mesh network 900.

Once the mesh network 900 is formed, the chips 162 and 901A-901G mayattempt to exchange data and/or messages. The data exchange may beutilized to perform communication between the chips 162 and 901A-901Gand the mesh network 900, or alternatively, the data exchange may beutilized to facilitate communication between a chip in the mesh network900 and some external entity; for example the external device 903.Performing data exchange in the mesh network 900 may require dataqueuing in some of the chips 162 and 901A-901G in the mesh network 900.For example, the chip 162 may determine that the chip 901F may be themost likely candidate to forward data from the chip 901C to the externaldevice 903. The chip 901F may be unable to forward data received fromthe chip 901C due to loss of connectivity with the external device 903.The chip 162 may queue the data received from the chip 901C untilconnectivity with the external device 903 may be re-established. Aqueuing subsystem, which may be managed by the processor 155, may beutilized to determine the availability of queuing and/or size of datathat may be queued.

Furthermore, the mesh network 900 may utilize an internal addressingscheme wherein each chip in the mesh network 900 may be assigned aunique internal address. For example, the chips 162 and 901A-901G may beassigned unique internal address identities. A chip in the mesh network900 may become communicatively coupled to an external network. Forexample, the chip 162 may become communicatively coupled to a WiFinetwork. The chip 162 may be assigned an address consistent with theexternal network. However, the chip 162 may also retain its internaladdress identity to enable remaining chips in the mesh network 900 tocontinue communicating with the chip 162 for data exchange and/or dataqueuing purposes.

In an embodiment of the invention, a chip joining the mesh network 900may determine its queuing availability utilizing a queuing sub-system.Furthermore, the queuing availability may continually and/or dynamicallybe updated as queuing-related resources may change. For example, powerresources may be relevant when determining data queuing and/or size ofdata that may be queued. Therefore, changes in the power resources maycause changes in queuing availability in a chip in the mesh network 900.

FIG. 9B is a block diagram illustrating exemplary package-to-packagemesh network to external device communication, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 9B, there is shown a meshnetwork 910 configured via the printed circuit board 171 comprising aplurality of packages 167 and 905A-905G. There is also shown an externaldevice 903. The packages 905A-905G may be substantially similar to thepackage 167, and may comprise leaky wave antennas for establishing themesh network 910.

The packages 167 and 905A-905G may be operable to create a mesh networkwhere each package may be a node in the network and may be utilized tocommunicate between the packages 167 and 905A-905G as well as toexternal devices, such as the external device 903. In instances wherethe packages 167 and 905A-905G may be communicating with an externaldevice, the optimum communication configuration may be determined bywhich package, or combination of packages, receives the maximum signalfrom the external device 903. In addition, with a plurality of leakywave antennas, beamforming may be utilized to direct a transmittedsignal at the external device 903.

In operation, the packages 167 and 905A-905G may be configured forinter-package communication. In this manner, signals may be communicatedbetween packages without utilizing wire traces between chips or packageson the printed circuit board 171. In addition, a mesh network may beestablished by the wireless communications capability of the packages167 and 905A-905G with devices external to the printed circuit board171, and/or with devices external to the wireless device 150, such asthe wireless device 903. Beamforming may be utilized for optimumcommunication between the packages 167 and 905A-905G and/or withexternal devices such as the external device 903. The signals may becommunicated between the packages 167 and 905A-905G via on-package oron-printed circuit board leaky wave antennas, such as the leaky waveantennas 164B and/or 164C described with respect to FIG. 1.

In an embodiment of the invention, the optimum configuration for acommunications link via the mesh network comprising the packages 167 and905A-905G and a particular device may be determined by a processor, suchas the processor 155 and/or the baseband process 154, for example,described with respect to FIG. 1. A maximum received signal for variousleaky wave antenna configurations may indicate the optimumconfiguration, which may then be utilized for wireless communicationwith external devices. The current configuration may be dynamicallyadjusted to provide maximum received signals on a periodic or aperiodicbasis, for example. The configuration may be different for inter-packagecommunication compared to communication with an external device, forexample.

The packages 167 and 905A-905G comprising the mesh network 910 may alsocomprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that mayenable forming mesh-like, ad hoc wireless networks of packages. Thepackages 167 and 905A-905G may communicate with each other if thedevices are within device-to-device operational proximity. Formation ofdevice-to-device connections between devices in the packages 167 and905A-905G may enable formation of the mesh network 900.

Once the mesh network 910 is formed, the packages 167 and 905A-905G mayattempt to exchange data and/or messages. The data exchange may beutilized to perform communication between the packages 167 and 905A-905Gand the mesh network 910, or alternatively, the data exchange may beutilized to facilitate communication between a package of the packages167 and 905A-905G in the mesh network 910 and some external entity; forexample the external device 903. Performing data exchange in the meshnetwork 910 may require data queuing in some of the packages 167 and905A-905G in the mesh network 910. For example, the package 167 maydetermine that the package 905F may be the most likely candidate toforward data from the package 905C to the external device 903. Thepackage 905F may be unable to forward data received from the package905C due to loss of connectivity with the external device 903. Thepackage 167 may queue the data received from the package 905C untilconnectivity with the external device 903 may be re-established.Determination of availability of queuing and/or size of data that may bequeued may comprise utilizing a queuing sub-system in the processor 155,for example, described with respect to FIG. 1.

Furthermore, the mesh network 910 may utilize an internal addressingscheme wherein each package, and/or chip within the package, in the meshnetwork 910 may be assigned a unique internal address. For example, thepackages 167 and 905A-905G may be assigned unique internal addressidentities. A package in the mesh network 910 may become communicativelycoupled to an external network. For example, the package 167 may becomecommunicatively coupled to a WiFi network. The package 167 may beassigned an address that may be consistent with the external network.However, the package 167 may also retain its internal address identityto enable remaining chips in the mesh network 910 to continuecommunicating with the package 167 for data exchange and/or data queuingpurposes.

In an embodiment of the invention, a chip or package joining the meshnetwork 910 may determine its queuing availability utilizing a queuingsub-system. Furthermore, the queuing availability may continually and/ordynamically be updated as changes in queuing-related resources occur.For example, power resources may be relevant when determining dataqueuing and/or size of data that may be queued. Therefore, changes inthe power resources may cause changes in queuing availability in a chipin the mesh network 910.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary steps for configuringa mesh network utilizing leaky wave antennas, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 10, in step 1003 afterstart step 1001, a plurality of leaky wave antennas may be configuredfor communication at a desired frequency via MEMS deflection or byselection of one or more leaky wave antennas with an appropriate cavityheight, for example, may adjust the Q of the cavity via shorting and/oropening slots or patches in the partially reflective surface, and/or mayconfigure the direction of transmission/ and/or reception of the leakywave antennas. In step 1005, one or more mesh networks may beestablished in the wireless device 150 via configured leaky waveantennas. In step 1007, high frequency signals may be transmittedbetween leaky wave antennas in the mesh network and/or with devicesexternal to the wireless device 150. In step 1009, in instances wherethe wireless device 150 is to be powered down, the exemplary steps mayproceed to end step 1011. In step 1009, in instances where the wirelessdevice 150 is not to be powered down, the exemplary steps may proceed tostep 1003 to configure the leaky wave antenna at a desiredfrequency/Q-factor/direction of transmission and/or reception.

In an embodiment of the invention, a method and system are disclosed forconfiguring one or more devices in a mesh network 900, 910 in a wirelessdevice 150 utilizing two or more of a plurality of leaky wave antennas164A-164C, 400, 420, 720, 730, and 809A-809F, and communicating databetween the devices 152, 154, 158, 156, 160, 162, 167, 168, 170, 171172, 174, 176, 178, 180, 182, 168, 166, 901A-901G, and 905A-905G via theconfigured mesh network 900, 910. A resonant frequency of the leaky waveantennas 164A-164C, 400, 420, 720, 730, and 809A-809F may be configuredutilizing micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) deflection. Aplurality of the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C, 400, 420, 720, 730, and809A-809F may be configured to enable beamforming.

The leaky wave antennas 164A-164C, 400, 420, 720, 730, and 809A-809F maycomprise microstrip waveguides 720, wherein a cavity height of the leakywave antennas 164A-164C, 400, 420, 720, 730, and 809A-809F is dependenton spacing between conductive lines 723 and 725 in the microstripwaveguides. The leaky wave antennas 164A-164C, 400, 420, 720, 730, and809A-809F may comprise coplanar waveguides 730, wherein a cavity heightof the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C, 400, 420, 720, 730, and 809A-809Fis dependent on spacing between conductive lines 731 and 733 in thecoplanar waveguides. The plurality of leaky wave antennas 164A-164C,400, 420, 720, 730, and 809A-809F may be integrated in one or more of:integrated circuits 162, integrated circuit packages 167, and printedcircuit boards 171. The devices 152, 154, 158, 156, 160, 162, 167, 168,170, 171 172, 174, 176, 178, 180, 182, 168, 166, 901A-901G, and905A-905G may be internal to the wireless device 150. The data may becommunicated via the mesh network 900, 910 to devices external 903 tothe wireless device 150.

Other embodiments of the invention may provide a non-transitory computerreadable medium and/or storage medium, and/or a non-transitory machinereadable medium and/or storage medium, having stored thereon, a machinecode and/or a computer program having at least one code sectionexecutable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machineand/or computer to perform the steps as described herein for a meshnetwork utilizing leaky wave antennas.

Accordingly, aspects of the invention may be realized in hardware,software, firmware or a combination thereof. The invention may berealized in a centralized fashion in at least one computer system or ina distributed fashion where different elements are spread across severalinterconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or otherapparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein issuited. A typical combination of hardware, software and firmware may bea general-purpose computer system with a computer program that, whenbeing loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that itcarries out the methods described herein.

One embodiment of the present invention may be implemented as a boardlevel product, as a single chip, application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), or with varying levels integrated on a single chip with otherportions of the system as separate components. The degree of integrationof the system will primarily be determined by speed and costconsiderations. Because of the sophisticated nature of modernprocessors, it is possible to utilize a commercially availableprocessor, which may be implemented external to an ASIC implementationof the present system. Alternatively, if the processor is available asan ASIC core or logic block, then the commercially available processormay be implemented as part of an ASIC device with various functionsimplemented as firmware.

The present invention may also be embedded in a computer programproduct, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation ofthe methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer systemis able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the presentcontext may mean, for example, any expression, in any language, code ornotation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having aninformation processing capability to perform a particular functioneither directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversionto another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a differentmaterial form. However, other meanings of computer program within theunderstanding of those skilled in the art are also contemplated by thepresent invention.

While the invention has been described with reference to certainembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope.Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited tothe particular embodiments disclosed, but that the present inventionwill include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appendedclaims.

1. A method for communication, the method comprising: in a wirelessdevice comprising a plurality of leaky wave antennas: configuring one ormore devices, which are internal to said wireless device, and which arecoupled to one or more of said plurality of leaky wave antennas, as partof a mesh network; and communicating data between any of said one ormore internal devices and/or one or more devices that are external tosaid wireless device via said one or more of said plurality of leakywave antennas that are part of said mesh network.
 2. The methodaccording to claim 1, comprising configuring a resonant frequency ofsaid plurality of leaky wave antennas utilizing micro-electro-mechanicalsystems (MEMS) deflection.
 3. The method according to claim 1,comprising configuring said plurality of said leaky wave antennas toenable beamforming.
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein saidplurality of leaky wave antennas comprise microstrip waveguides.
 5. Themethod according to claim 4, wherein a cavity height of said pluralityof leaky wave antennas is dependent on spacing between conductive linesin said microstrip waveguides.
 6. The method according to claim 1,wherein said plurality of leaky wave antennas comprise coplanarwaveguides.
 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein a cavity heightof said plurality of leaky wave antennas is dependent on spacing betweenconductive lines in said coplanar waveguides.
 8. The method according toclaim 1, wherein said plurality of leaky wave antennas are integrated inone or more of: integrated circuits, integrated circuit packages, andprinted circuit boards.
 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein saiddevices are internal to said wireless device.
 10. The method accordingto claim 1, comprising communicating said data via said mesh network todevices external to said wireless device.
 11. A system for enablingcommunication, the system comprising: one or more circuits for use in awireless device comprising a plurality of leaky wave antennas, said oneor more circuits being operable to: configure one or more devices, whichare internal to said wireless device, and which are coupled to one ormore of said plurality of leaky wave antennas as part of a mesh network;and communicate data between any of said one or more internal devicesand/or one or more devices that are external to said wireless device viasaid one or more of said plurality of leaky wave antennas that are partof said mesh network.
 12. The system according to claim 11, wherein saidwireless device is operable to configure a resonant frequency of saidplurality of leaky wave antennas utilizing micro-electro-mechanicalsystems (MEMS) deflection.
 13. The system according to claim 11, whereinsaid wireless device is operable to configure said plurality of saidleaky wave antennas to enable beamforming.
 14. The system according toclaim 11, wherein said plurality of leaky wave antennas comprisemicrostrip waveguides.
 15. The system according to claim 14, wherein acavity height of said plurality of leaky wave antennas is dependent onspacing between conductive lines in said microstrip waveguides.
 16. Thesystem according to claim 11, wherein said plurality of leaky waveantennas comprise coplanar waveguides.
 17. The system according to claim16, wherein a cavity height of said plurality of leaky wave antennas isdependent on spacing between conductive lines in said coplanarwaveguides.
 18. The system according to claim 11, wherein said pluralityof leaky wave antennas are integrated in one or more of: integratedcircuits, integrated circuit packages, and printed circuit boards. 19.The system according to claim 11, wherein said devices are internal tosaid wireless device.
 20. The system according to claim 11, wherein saidwireless device is operable to communicate said data via said meshnetwork to devices external to said wireless device.